The roles played by the mental functions are very important during working, learning or the like. In order to make the most appropriate movement or judgment under the conditions that environments, physical conditions and state of mind vary, it is required to concentrate, thereby instantaneously selecting and deciding the object, and taking actions. Also, in order to maintain the working efficiently, the work must be continued with the mind concentrated. However, in either case, lowering of the working efficiency and judgment is unavoidable due to such reasons as fatigue, continuous working, passage of time, boredom, added age, physical disorders, emotional disorders, tension, surrounding factors such as vibration and noise, lack of motivation, demanding attention, compromise and dependence.
So far, there has been known to take glucose in order to maintain the concentration during working, learning or the like. However, the intake of glucose merely temporarily elevates the blood sugar level and its maintenance is low. Also, there have been known those drugs for enhancing mind-concentration during physical exercise, such as a stimulant including caffeine and cocaine hydrochloride, and a β-blocking agent such as Atenolol. However, these drugs have adverse actions, so that their uses have been prohibited by the International Olympic Committee, Medical Bureau. Also, creatinine preparation has been used, but there has been reported that the effect by the creatinine preparation is not remarkable.
Also, not only acquiring each technique but also exhibiting the technique during a competition in an appropriate situation at a proper timing should be required in order that an athlete shows an excellent performance during physical exercise. Therefore, in addition to the physical exercise abilities, an athlete is further required to be excellent in an ability to concentrate the mind, which is a so-called “concentration ability,” without being distracted to other matters during a competition as well as information processing abilities such as anticipation and judgment.
Conventionally, there have been studied various methods for mental training which are purposed for being able to control oneself to a mental state optimum for showing excellent performance, and the methods have been employed in an actual situation. For instance, studies and developments of mind-controlling method and psychological training method have been carried out, and a method for “prevention from becoming nervous (agari),” a method for maintaining a usual state, a method for improving a usual state at least a little, and a method for “enhancing concentration ability” have been carried out. Also, there has been introduced a study using bio-feedback.
The term “bio-feedback” is defined as “an operation of converting person's changes in neural and physiological reactions (for instance, skin temperature, myogenic potential, brain waves, heart beat, and the like) to external information, and transmitting the information to the person.”
Generally, it has been known that human shows the best performance when human reaches its optimum vigilance level. The term “vigilance” as referred to herein is an inner state characterized by latent excitement, tension, anxiety and the like. When the vigilance level is elevated, the central nervous system such as decision-making actively functions, so that the accuracy of the reaction and the like increases, namely, the performance is improved. However, when the vigilance level becomes too high, attentiveness is hard to be concentrated, mistakes are made in decision-making, and the limbs become stiff because of overstraining, whereby the performance is lowered.
Therefore, there has been carried out training which brings the level of vigilance to an optimal level by bio-feedback in order that more excellent performance is exhibited. However, the training necessitates many repetitions of lesson, thereby making it time-consuming. Also, there is a large difference between individuals.
On the other hand, there has been also known a method for improving sports performance by supplementing nutritious ingredients which are reduced during a competition. For instance, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 9-1703017 discloses a technique of enhancing physical strength and staying power by supplying trehalose as an energy source for an organism, which becomes insufficient being deficient during physical exercise. Also, an amount of various vitamins consumed increases by the physical exercise or training, and it is known that the vitamin deficiency causes wrong influences to sports performance. Therefore, in order to maintain/improve the sports performance, an athlete is instructed not to neglect the intake of vitamins [J.J. Sports Sci., Vol. 5, No. 3, p. 186-191 (1986)].
Also, there has been disclosed a technique of taking an amino acid preparation for the purpose of improving sports performance. For instance, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No Hei 9-249556 discloses a technique comprising supplying an amino acid composition comprising amino acids contained in saliva secreted from a larva of a wasp in order to supplement the reduction of the blood amino acids accompanied by intense physical exercise, thereby accomplishing improvement in physical exercise functions, alleviation of fatigue and recovery from fatigue after the physical exercise.
There have been reported that branched amino acids (valine, leucine and isoleucine), the main components of proteins in a muscle tissue, are supplied in order to supplement the amino acids consumed by intense training for muscular strength and physical exercises such as long-period endurance race, thereby making it possible to prevent damages of muscle tissues and lowering of muscular strength, to further quickly recover from muscle damages immediately after the physical exercise, and to prevent muscular pain and muscle fatigue [Shokuhin to Kaihatsu (Foods and Development), Vol. 34, No. 10, p. 4-8 (1999); Kagaku (Chemistry), Vol. 55, No. 6, p. 19-25 (2000)].
Furthermore, there has been known a composition for improving sports performance on the basis of improvement of biological functions. For instance, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 11-239465 discloses a technique for enhancing aerobic ability during physical exercise by giving an n-3-based fatty acid as an auxiliary means for improving staying power. Also, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-26304 discloses a technique comprising activating the intestinal tract by such effects resulting from Bifidobacterium and an oligosaccharide as the amelioration of intestinal microflora, acceleration of mineral absorption, enhancement of immunofunction, and vitamin synthesis, thereby improving sports performance.
Although these techniques can improve the “quantity” aspect such as staying power during physical exercise, they cannot improve “quality” aspect such as mental abilities for suppressing psychological influences in “nervousness (agari).”
Incidentally, there have been known drugs for exciting the central nervous system and stimulating the sympathetic nervous system in order to show maximum abilities in sports and maintain their abilities. These drugs include stimulants such as amphetamine-associated compounds, caffeine, cocaine and ephedrine, narcotic sedatives such as morphine, protein anabolites such as protein-anabolitic steroids and β2 blocking agents, diuretics and peptide hormones, placental gonatropin, adrenocortical hormones, growth hormones, peptide hormones such as erythropoietin, glycoprotein hormones and analogous compounds thereof. However, all of these compounds are dopes and their uses are prohibited.
An object of the present invention is to provide a composition for improving mind-concentration, the composition being able to effectively and safely improve the working efficiency, learning efficiency or the like, or effectively and safely make actual sports performance exhibited, by suppressing (1) psychological influences and/or physical influences caused by various factors during working, learning or the like, or (2) psychological influences in psychogenic physical exercise dysfunctions mainly due to tension, shriveling, lowering or lack of concentration, accumulation of mental fatigue or the like during physical exercise, and a method for improving mind-concentration.